


Beyond Diligence

by quiet__tiger



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-07
Updated: 2017-05-07
Packaged: 2018-10-29 04:28:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10846482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quiet__tiger/pseuds/quiet__tiger
Summary: Dick knows Tim is pushing himself to hard, and everyone else away.





	Beyond Diligence

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: "Hair of the Dog."
> 
> Originally posted to Livejournal 14th-Apr-2010.

“Tim, enough.”

Tim ignored Dick entirely, instead remaining focused on the treadmill.

“I said _enough_.” Dick wrapped one arm around Tim’s waist and hauled him off the machine, then set him on his feet.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re _not_ fine. You’re hurt.” _In so many different ways._

“I don’t feel pain.” Maybe he didn’t, but he still looked like he needed a long nap, a good meal, and some IV fluids for good measure. He’d been pushing himself to the breaking point every day for weeks, going from school to the Cave to patrol and back again.

“You need to stop this.”

“If I don’t train--”

“If you don’t train your body will actually have time to repair itself. _Then_ it’ll hurt, but you need time to heal. Come on.” Dick wrapped one hand around Tim’s sweaty neck and just about dragged him away. “Sit.” He forced Tim to sit on the changing bench and sat behind him to massage his shoulders. “Talk. Why are you abusing yourself?”

“I’m not--”

Dick squeezed hard, and Tim grunted. “If you really think you’re going to get something over on me, remember that I’m not Bruce.”

Tim was quiet, then started talking softly. “Twisted my knee a little. Next night got kicked hard in the arm and I forgot my knee. Two days later a knife got my other leg. Couple nights later sprained my ankle.”

“So you got hurt. A lot, but still not anything that hasn’t happened before.”

“Right. Happens all the time, one pain here, a different one there. But it’s not like I can stop training, stop working.” Dick moved his hands lower, thumbs pressing along Tim’s shoulder blades. When Tim didn’t continue, Dick stopped until he started again. “After a while, everything stopped hurting.”

“Shock. The body thinks there’s something wrong with you, so it’s shut down the pain. Then when you do train and patrol, endorphins are released. School must be torture, just sitting there all day. And don’t tell me you’ve been cutting classes, or Bruce _will_ hear about it.”

Tim was silent, and Dick frowned. “Is there anything else going on?”

“No.” More silence, and Dick was about to give up and try again later. But then Tim spoke very softly. “Training, being better…It just takes my mind off everything.”

Dick didn’t have to ask about _‘everything.’_ He could guess what Tim meant. Death, horror, fear, anguish, hate… He could ignore it all as he focused on training, fighting, learning something new, purposely not acknowledging physical pain.

Just as softly, Dick replied, “Stop it. What you’re doing to yourself won’t make you forget, and it won’t make it all go away. The only thing that will is time. Please give yourself that. And if you don’t I’ll make sure Bruce does.” Tim tensed under his hands at the threat of losing Robin. “Promise me.”

“…Okay.”

Much too empty of a promise, but that was it for right now.

He’d work harder for it later.


End file.
